After a decade since studying abroad in Italy I look back at each city I visited and reflect on what I learned. For a budding foodie, Italy is one of the best places to nourish your imagination and hone your palate. That's what happened to me in 2010 when I visited the country for the first time during a study abroad program with UBC. I learned all about the Veneto region, the Venetian empire and how the Venetian Renaissance differed from their Florentine rivalries. But while I learned about art in situ and toured museums until my feet were tender, something else was flourishing - I was beginning to appreciate food, wine and cultural differences. At the time I was ...
Europe
17 Legendary Historic Hotels Inducted into Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotel Worldwide
Historic Hotels of America® and Historic Hotels Worldwide® have inducted 17 historic hotels into membership through April 2017. These historic hotels date back to the 13th century. The 17 iconic hotels represent different independent hotels, brands, and collections from around the world and from ten countries. Historic Hotels of America has inducted these hotels through April 2017: Inn at Willow Grove (1778) Orange, Virginia Hotel fun fact: During the Revolutionary War Generals Wayne (Georgia) and Muhlenberg (Pennsylvania) camped at Willow Grove during the southern campaign to assist Marquis de Lafayette in forcing the British to surrender. Inn at Willow ...
Loughcrew Megalithic Centre, Ireland
Rows of cragged trees with wandering branches lined the curvaceous roads along the River Boyne. I was on a tour with Irish Day Tours - the only tour group who featured the lesser known ancient Celtic Boyne Valley. Arriving at a white thatched roof cottage, restored as it was in 1800 Ireland, I was surrounded by the lush green rolling hills. This was the Loughcrew Megalithic Centre. Typically, tourists interested in megaliths visit the more popular Newgrange, also known as Brú na Bóinne, which is considered the "Disneyland" of megalithic sites. It is the largest site but also more commercialized than Loughcrew Megalithic Centre. Loughcrew is hidden within the countryside of ...
The 6 Best Things I Ate & Drank in Ireland
Ireland might not be famous for its food but it should be. You probably think of fried foods, soda bread and blood sausage but there's so much more to it! Delectable seafood, sticky ribs, hearty soups and the best cheese the world over - this is Ireland! Elephant & Castle Baby back spareribs with ginger molasses glaze Our very organized and helpful AirBnB host Ian told us to head to Elephant & Castle for Dublin's best chicken wings. They were definitely good but the baby back spareribs offered more to rave about! While most restaurants in Temple Bar cater to tourists this spot is packed with locals ordering an entire basket of chicken wings, charcuterie, messy ribs and ...
Postcards from Ireland: Our UK Honeymoon
As you can see from the picturesque postcards from Ireland in this post, it is a stunning country. Ireland is one of my favourite countries so far. I first visited it in 2013 with my sister for BlogHouse Ireland and TBEX. I returned home knowing I would have to bring my husband back one day. When I tell people that it's on my top 5 list of countries (thus far) people tend to be surprised. But I think it is the special mixture of friendly people, ever present mythology, the vibrant history that make it so special to me. It's where traditions and contemporary hip attitudes blend to create a country that keeps surprising me. While I was with my sister I covered most of the lower eastern side ...
The Reveal: Honeymoon Itinerary
If you haven't been paying close attention to my little breadcrumbs I've been leaving throughout the past few months then you may not know where we decided to go for our honeymoon. With the wedding last week (August 20th) I figured what better time to tell you than now? We've decided to go to the UK! You might be shocked. Why on earth would newlyweds flock to the UK fresh in the wake of Brexit and all that gloomy weather? Well for one, Zika deterred us from going anywhere we wanted to go at first. Jamaica. Turks & Caicos. Bali. Even Hawaii ! While we do not fear for our lives or health traveling to these places, we more fear that, as newlyweds concerned for our potential future ...
My Best Travel Photography: Europe Edition
Life has been so busy lately I have barely had time to celebrate the year my website turns 5. It's official birthday was in March of this year but with the redesign underway I wasn't able to give it a proper post. This week my family was rooting through images looking for suitable photos to put in the wedding slideshow. Nostalgia abound and got me thinking I should do a roundup of my favourite photos for each destination I've been. For this post I am focusing on the European destinations I have visited and loved. There's at least one hundred photos for each destination but these are my very favourite and some of my best travel photography over the years. You can also see my development as we ...
The Most Expensive Coffee in the World: Kopi Luwak & the Catch 22
"It'sa the most expensive coffee in de worrrld." Our very Italian Walks of Italy guide annunciated to us, a slightly buzzed group of 20 travelers from around the world. We had just arrived at the Caffè del Doge in Venice - the place to grab a quick cup of cappuccino done the only way, the correct way, the Italian way. Our guide, a gorgeous statuesque blond woman with better dress sense than anyone in our group of tourists and travelers, directed us to the counter of the emptied cafe prompting us to order. From 10 am to noon the sparkling wine, cicchetti and history all went to our heads. What we needed now was a shot of espresso and apparently, as the Venetians do, a shot of grappa to ...
Sunday Pranzo: The Best Meal I Had in Paris was Greek
Ok. Maybe I should rephrase that. One of the best meals I had in Paris was in fact eaten at a Greek restaurant in a terribly touristy area. France has just beat Nigeria in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, hence the craziness in the image above. We had snuck out our small packed bar just before the game was officially over. Parisians chanted French rhyming songs, something to do with "caca" and we knew the race was on to find a nearby restaurant or else risk going hungry for the night. We ducked beneath a blue awning sitting street side to people watch the excitable fans meander to and fro in the streets of Paris. Particularly the streets of the Marais not too far from the Pompidou. I ...
How to Love Versailles: Make like Marie Antoinette
Raised on my tippy toes I struggled to see the hall of mirrors for what it was in its entirety. People of all nationalities and all languages were buzzing about to and fro without any sign of slowing. I stumbled off the tips of my feet and fell into a girl making what's known as a duck face. She was taking a selfie. Worst of all she was taking a selfie with nothing behind her. No gilded mirrors or chandeliers. No view of the gardens. No frescoes nor paintings of the Sun King or Marie Antoinette. Only her own duck face with the lens strategically placed so that further cleavage played peak-a-boo with whomever she was about to send her photo to. She hardly noticed me bump into her shoulder as ...
A Good Year via Instagram
How is it possible this year is already coming to a close? It's time for a look back. This is 2014 in review. This year has offered opportunities I had only dreamed about when beginning The Wanderfull Traveler in 2011. 2014 brought me a return trip to Venice, a first time to Paris and an deliriously happy memories to last me a lifetime. What 2015 holds for me I am not sure. No trips have been planned with any amount of certainty but I happily invite the new year expecting surprises and new journeys. But until then let's take a look back and be thankful for what 2014 brought me, and in turn you. I ventured into new media...Video! In the beginning of 2014 I tried my hand at video ...
Sunday Pranzo: Paris’ Les Bistronomes Wine Bar
A narrow quiet candlelit dinning room with accents of slate, natural woods and a chalkboard with expertly handwritten "Shalapata" across it in white chalk. We were the typical tourists that night dinning at an early 6:o0 pm for Parisians which meant we were the first to arrive on a Sunday evening at Les Bistronomes. I was looking for a perfect final meal to send us off back to Canada. I wanted something to dream about, something that would call me back in my moments of longing for travel, something that plagues me the most in February and March (if not all year round). The entrance was charming enough. I was nothing but happy to be there with my family (+1 meathead). I had searched ...
ArtSmart: The Life of St. Nicholas in Medieval Stained Glass at The Cluny
For those of you new to the ArtSmart Roundtable, we are a group of travel bloggers with a passion for art. We write monthly about a designated topic publishing it on the first Monday of each month (although I am a little late). This November our topic is "Hidden Gems" and I'll be focusing on the oldest living stained glass featuring the life of St. Nicholas, on display at The Cluny Medieval Museum in Paris. You can find more hidden gems highlighted by my colleagues at the bottom of this post. As soon as Halloween ends the hype over Christmas seems to become rampant as stores and even television begin to shovel the holiday spirit down our throats. I love the holidays but when I saw that ...
Living Like a Local in Paris: The Pros, Cons & Gone Wrongs {Video}
Everyone has imagined what it would be like to live in another city or foreign country. I've always imagined myself in Paris, even before I really knew what it was to live in Paris. Having watched a ridiculous number of House Hunters International and always swooning the most when it was in Paris I was dead set on renting an apartment in the city of my dreams. But I was unaware of the baggage that can come with an apartment in a city of the old and new. Most Paris apartments do not include spacious airy floor plans with parquet flooring, a narrow balcony high above the streets and an air conditioner like I believed. Au contraire mon frère. As I discovered if you want to live ...
Drifting on the Seine: A Champagne Boat Tour with Ô Chateau {Video}
No matter how your trip is going in Paris - good, bad or a topsy-turvey mixture of both - nothing will settle you in more than a relaxing drift along the Seine. There we were the six of us floating past the Eiffel Tower with a glass of chilled Champagne in our hands. Cut to thirty minutes earlier than when we stepped foot on the boat and you would have seen a very different scene. Picture the six of us running through the streets of Paris frantically trying to catch the right metro to get from the Marais to the Eiffel Tower. We only had 18 minutes to spare by the time we purchased our tickets and got on the right train. The mugginess was getting to us. Our makeup never stayed on for the ...
An Unexpected Walk Among the Tombstones: Kilkenny, Ireland
Have you ever spontaneously visited a country you least expected? That was the case more than one year ago for me. I submitted my application for Bloghouse by Navigate Media half expecting not to be accepted. Two weeks later I get the news to book my flights and arrange a stay in Dublin for TBEX Ireland. The year has flown by and I find myself looking back longing for Ireland again. While I am in no budgetary position to fly back right now, I am nostalgically flipping through photos becoming lost in the sense spontaneity that I had at the time. I was proud of myself that I could and did hop on a flight to Ireland within 2 weeks of receiving the news. This is as spontaneous as I get save ...
La Grande Dame: A Champagne Day in Reims, France
Things never quite work out how you planned them to be. This is especially the case while traveling. Before departing Canada I had customized our own tour of the Champagne region for 6 people. I arranged the train tickets (Paris to Reims, Reims to Epernay, Epernay to Paris) with a stop at the Veuve Clicquot champagne house, Notre Dame Cathedral and finishing off at Moët & Chandon in Epernay. With an 8:30 am departure from Paris this was just not a practical itinerary for 6 people with lunch in between. Mostly because we were so taken with the city of Reims. We began our tour of Reims by heading straight to Veuve Clicquot Champagne House. I have to admit I was a bit underwhelmed by ...
Skip the Line with Wine: A City Wonders VIP Louvre Tour {+ Video!}
I remember hearing that the Louvre only has 10% of it's collection on display in Paris. If you haven't been before it is a massive museum and would take you over a month to explore every room and see every piece. That's a daunting thought for a first timer hoping to visit the museum but don't get overwhelmed! There are ways to narrow down your visit without overdoing it. But first you have to surrender to the fact that you won't see everything you had imagined. On the other hand, you can see the pieces that have tickled your imagination in the first place. Here's how... In order to avoid the ridiculous lines and over populated rooms get a Paris Museum Pass. It was the first thing I ...
Paris: First Impressions for a Long Time Dreamer
I can't remember if it was when I was in high school while talking with my teacher about her travels to France and Germany or if it was when I tasted my first escargot but I knew the French had something going on and I wanted to be apart of it. I just didn't know when. It has been a long time since the seed of traveling to France was planted in my impressionable mind. Finally, 2014, I was able to make it happen thanks to the stars aligning. One of those stars was meeting GowithOh in Dublin at the TBEX event. They would be the fuel to my jet pack, the "flux capacitor" to my DeLorean, the wind beneath my drone propellers. Essentially, GowithOh was the reason I was finally able ...
Cin Cin!: Drink Like a Venetian – Wine with Context Travel
I love wine. I visit plenty of wineries. I enjoy learning about the ancient elixir. Trying to pair it with meals is a delicious trial and error. I even enjoy photographing it. But I have to be honest. I don't know that much about it. I guess I know more than the average person because of where I live here in the Okanagan wine valley but truthfully I can barely describe with accuracy the flavours and aromas. I'm not a pro which many people tend to think when you tell them you like wine. So when I was offered the chance to tour Venice with a professional Sommelier I jumped at it. Venetian wine with Context Travel Sommelier guide?! Sounds like a dream come true! I think my ...
ArtSmart: An Art Day in Paris – My Accidental Walking Tour
This month the ArtSmart Roundtable theme is "An Art Day in..." and having just returned from my first time in Paris I have plenty to write about. Almost every day was an art day in Paris and much of it was unexpected, unplanned and unreal. If you're new to ArtSmart it's a group of passionate travel bloggers who cover a variety of topics but we all love art. We publish on the first Monday of each month with a new topic and you can find links to my colleagues' interpretations of this month's theme at the bottom of this post. Sigh...Paris. I was surprised at how spread out it is but at the same time it isn't. The Louvre, Notre Dame, Musé D'Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Place des ...
Living Like a Local in Venice with GowithOh Apartments
Local Venetian life is like an exclusive club you can only inherit or purchase your way into like Elton John. But, I've found a bit of a shortcut that doesn't cost you over €4000 per square meter nor the longterm commitment. I was lucky enough to win an apartment rental through GowithOh (you might remember) and chose Venice as well as Paris to experience living like a local. Venice, a place I had fallen in love with in 2010 while studying art history, offered the nicest apartment truest to the photos and as quaint & perfectly located as I imagined it would be. Upon (our unfortunately late) arrival our apartment manager, a very chic Italian woman from Padova, had waited for us to ...
Venice on a Plate: A Food Tour of Venice with Walks of Italy
So much good food! Yes I am still alive after so much traveling within these past 4 weeks. From Italy and France to Northern British Columbia I have returned with many stories to tell. But I digress...my god the good food! That's how I remember Venice this time around. Shockingly that wasn't the case during my first visit where I saw the most amazing art, gorgeous architecture but had very little good food. I knew upon returning I would have to take a food tour of Venice with Walks of Italy. To do it right you must be shown around by a local passionate foodie (maybe all Italians are foodies) and thanks to Walks of Italy I was invited to do exactly that. The lay of the land was ...
Snapshots of Venetian Splendour #GwOGourmands
Venice, as I explain to anyone who asks, is one of those places that makes your heart glow when you think about it. At least it is for me. Where else can you see history preserved in time so much so that Marco Polo and Shakespeare would know their way around the city today if resurrected? It's a living museum with its inhabitants observing you as much as you observe them. I tried to tap into the locals rhythm. Market in the morning. Aperitif in the afternoon. Dinner after 7:30 pm. A slow wander of the streets in between. But you'll always be a tourist to them. Although, thanks to GowithOh, I was able to experience a bit of what it would be like to live the Venetian lifestyle. In short, ...
Unique Stays: Thinking Outside the Hotel Room
A hotel may be your first choice when looking for a place to stay while on vacation but should it be? I've stayed in a wide range of unique stays from convents to apartments. Take it from me when I say you shouldn't be staying at a hotel if you want to save money! Of course there are those hotels that are so charming that you can't pass up but once you get a peak at their rates it'll probably scare you away. If you can afford it great! If you think it is worth it then I say go for it! But for those of us on a budget we need to think outside of the box. 1. Done Orione Artigianelli Cultural Centre, Venice: That Time I Stayed at a Monastery (& I am not religious) The morality of me ...
ArtSmart: Learning to See The Light in Vicenza, Italy
ArtSmart is a group of bloggers who write about a specified topic to be published on the first Monday of each month. You can see my colleagues' posts at the bottom of this page. This June the selected theme is Light, a topic that immediately brought me back to a moment in Vicenza, Italy at the Musei Civici. Our art history professor instructed her 30+ students to choose a painting and analyze it without any previous context. We were only to intently stare at the piece and try to figure out what it all meant. Our only outside clues were the title, the artist's name and the date. The predominantly female student body assembled in their clicks like nails to the nearest magnet. This ...
3 Blogs to Follow Before You Go to Venice
With only 1 month to go until I return to Venice. I have been allowing myself to binge on all things Venetian during the weekends. This includes watching usually bad movies set in the gorgeous Venice (think The Tourist and Summertime with Katherine Hepburn) and reading books, novels, blogs also all set in one of my favourite cities of the world. But I admit, finding a good blog about Venice is tough. First of all, it's a much smaller population (about 60,000) in a much smaller area than, say, Paris (about 2,000,000+) where there are many Paris-focused blogs to choose from. Venetian blogs on the other hand are far and few between. Unfortunately, I can't afford to move there and start one ...
History & Highlights of Peggy Guggenheim’s Sculpture Garden
Visiting the Peggy Guggenheim in Venice for the first time is an experience to remember. But visiting it for the first time as the sunsets at a private party with booming music and an Aperol sprits in your hand is another experience entirely. How a group of 30+ Canadian art history students got in thanks to our well connected professor I will never know, nor will I get to replicate the experience - although I am trying! If anyone knows how to get tickets to the Peggy Guggenheim's evening parties please let me know! Admittedly these featured highlights of the Peggy Guggenheim's Sculpture Garden, also known as the Nesher Sculpture Garden, are my own favourites that affected me in some ...
Sunday Pranzo: Sheridans Cheesemongers Dublin
It's been a while since I've written a Sunday Pranzo. What brought me back was the visions of cheese dancing in my head as I cut back on all things delicious and decadent for a while. What keeps me going are the memories of amazing cheese I sampled in Dublin at the Sheridans Cheesemonger shop. If you know me, you know I LOVE cheese in all its ages, shapes and textures. I love Roquefort, Gouda, Brie, Camembert, Goat and especially the stinky, soft, creamy kinds that you spread on fragile crackers or fresh bread. The act of creating a cheese laden cracker becomes an act or creativity as you choose to layer fruits, nuts, chutneys, herbs, meats, patés at your own discretion. Each ...
5 French Inspired Blogs to Follow Before You Go
Yes I am counting down the days (83) until I leave for my European vacation involving both Venice and Paris. Two cities that embody elegance, classic art history narratives and artists as well as fabulous architecture for history's chic and rich to frolic behind. It's my second time travelling to Venice but my first to Paris so I've been rooting out resource gems for my fellow travellers and I then I thought, Why not share them with you too?!With this post I am going beyond popular favourites of so many blog followers with a love of French culture. For example David Leibovitz and Lost in Cheeseland are go tos for me. But the blogs listed below, in no particular order, are impressive visually ...
A Relaxing Rainy Afternoon in Howth, Ireland
In my family I am renown for planning, admittedly it can end up to be too much. I tend to overcompensate for those who tend to not plan at all. But over the years I have learned that cramming as much as you can humanly stand into one trip can be daunting. It runs you down and you return home more exhausted than ever. Yes I am guilty of all this. Although I have to give myself a pat on the back as I start the planning process for Venice and Paris this coming summer. I have limited myself to three day trips the entire 13 days we are there and have left plenty of room for spontaneity. On the other hand, I completely ignored my own advice when my sister had arrived to Dublin after TBEX. We ...
Murder & Pigs Feet: The English Market in Cork, Ireland
Day trips in Ireland, such as the one I took with Day Tours.ie , are different. The Irish guides tell you their nation's stories of the past, present and potential future during your trip throughout the country side. I found it hard enough to choose where to go with only one day to spare away from Dublin. Inevitably, with my imagination seizing the better of me, I chose the Blarney/Cork tour with a stop at the majestic Rock of Cashel. In Cork you'll be able to peruse the Old English Market but not before a bit of a history lesson. While in Ireland, your imagination will always take over while exploring the country. It's especially the case when you have a guide crooning their Irish ...
How to Pour the Perfect Pint of Guinness: TBEX Ireland
I had heard a lot of mixed things about Guinness. My boyfriend, an avid beer drinker of Budweiser, said I wouldn't like it. I can't say I am a fan of Budweiser either. But Anthony Bourdain said it tastes like Thanksgiving in glass during his trip to Dublin. And everyone who has been to Ireland has said it tastes better in its birth country than in North America. Something to do with the Irish water? As a Guinness virgin I took off for Ireland with an open mind and I saved my first taste of the sweet stuff for the Guinness Storehouse. Conveniently TBEX was holding their kick off party there and my first rendezvous with Guinness would be one to remember. Upon entry ...
Hidden Ireland: Mystical Glendalough
The Wicklow Gap stop turned out to be a bit of a let down during our day tour. So when my sister, Taryn, and I finally arrived at Glendalough I was relieved. We had 3 hours to explore the site before having to board the bus for our trip back to Dublin with Wild Rover Tours. Little did I realize 3 hours would hardly be enough to explore the esoteric monastic ruins and surrounding forest. Glendalough was one of the most eerie places I had the privilege of visiting while in Ireland. It is known as a very popular tourist spot but it is easy to get away from the crowds and explore the innumerable ruins on your own. But if you're easily spooked like me you'll expect to run into a ghost at ...
What’s so Great About the Wicklow Gap?
In Wicklow County, Ireland the landscape changes from the typical green rolling hills being grazed by sheep or cows to a brown valley at the Wicklow Gap. Once a frozen glacier the light tumbles across the windy hills and the shadows of clouds are heaved up and over the surrounding summits. When my bus driver pulled over into a muddy rest stop perched over the Wicklow Gap I have to admit I wasn't all that impressed at first. Don't get me wrong the view is impressive when the fog lets up. And I do love a view as much as the next blogger. But I couldn't help but think that I've seen it before. Merritt, BC, Canada Photo Credit: SouthernBC.com I arrived during perfect conditions but I guess ...
Is It Worth Going to Blarney Castle, Ireland?
The rain is different in Ireland. I was expecting big ol' fat rain but instead it was an annoying mist that would cloak you like a blanket of damp. When my sister Taryn and I arrived at Blarney for our second stop on our DayTours.ie bus we decided to take cover at the food hall until the weather dissipated into a pleasant grey day. We don't really have them here in Canada but Food Halls are these large dinning areas where you seat yourself then head on up to the buffet style set up. You can dish yourself up, order some hot items that are freshly made or select some pre-made items like quiche (eat your quiches cold - heated = microwave = soggy). It can be a vegetarian's dream with a ton of ...
The Rock of Cashel, Ireland
When I told my sister, Taryn, we would have to wake up at 5:30am for our Monday full day tour with DayTours.ie she groggily looked at me with jet lagged eyes and said "Okay". What else could she have said? I already booked us in and I was in desperate need to explore the countryside. I wanted to see my first castle and roam among old cemeteries contemplating life, history and compositions of potential photos. I had just learned a whole lot from BlogHouse and I wanted to put all of it into action. What better place to practice than Ireland? My sister wasn't quite as eager as I but who could blame her? I had already explored most of Dublin and was basically acclimatized to the time change. ...
Sunday Pranzo: The Oddest Place I Ever Ate in Rome
To this day one of the most oddest sandwich shops I have ever step foot in was in Rome very near to my hotel, the Holiday Inn Express where we admittedly cheaped out on our hotel accommodations. You can read my post regarding my mixed feelings about my time in Rome but I know it was in relation to our hotel location. The hotel was comfortable enough with only mild mold surrounding the tub insert. The complimentary breakfast was powdered eggs, cheap pastry knockoffs and coffee that comes from a growling machine seizuring at the push of a button to secrete a sad cappuccino. When we decided to meander around our neighbourhood and see what restaurants were close we walked down a road where ...
Venice Decoded: Top 3 Lion Statues
June marked my 3 year anniversary since I first met and became infatuated with Venice and its history. I traveled there in 2010 to study art history and in particular the Reniassance of Venice and the Veneto region. I keep coming back to it and I keep trying to find a way to get back (next year fingers crossed). This month the ArtSmart* theme is sculpture and what better place to explore this topic than in Italy. Every square around every corner hosts yet another statue from another historical context in Italy's (and even Europe as a whole) history and capturing each one on your camera becomes a sport with all the people buzzing about. In Venice especially, it is well known, has huge crowds ...
ArtSmart: Artist as Comedian in Vicenza, Italy
Happy April Fools! As we indulge in the last of the winter's helpings of hearty vegetables and salty ham or turkey we may want to take care in accepting mama's special plate made just for you, the gullible one of the family, or someone seeking revenge for last year's tricks played during the first of the month. Last year my dad, aka my sisters and my boss as we all work together, had asked my sister to make a call to number written on a sticky note upon her desk and ask for a client named Myra Mains. Unknowingly, she called a local funeral home asking for said woman. Luckily, on the other end of the phone was a good spirited man who explained the joke to her. He also got my unsuspecting ...
Art Worth Traveling For in Rural Italy
I am very excited to be writing my first post for the ArtSmart Roundtable which is a group of brilliant bloggers who write once a month on a topic or theme, each interpreting the monthly subject in their own way. You can see what the other members selected to write about at the end of this post. This month's theme is Art Worth Travelling For and immediately I harked back to my days of studying art history in Italy and specifically my presentation in Mantova, Italy. Before departing Canada, my art history professor gave each student a list of works from which we were to blindly select one masterpiece and write a presentation to perform ...
Vogalonga 2013: Paddling Venice
Want some nautical adventure in the middle of a historic city this May? Why not sign yourself up for the Vogalonga in Venice? While Venice is celebrating Carnival this February, I am reminiscing about a late spring regatta I was lucky to experience by happenstance during my last visit. May 19th of 2010 I was in Venice with my 50 lb suitcase being dragged behind me upon uneven cobblestones and carried up and then down the stairs of the Rialto Bridge. Yes, my first trip to Europe was an eye opener for me when it came to my packing habits. At this point I was changing hotels from my delightful accommodations I shared with my boyfriend, near the Rialto, to the convent by the Academia Bridge ...
Tuscan Views
I first saw San Gimignano on the cover of my DK Italy guide book. It being my first trip abroad I would consult the guide for vague help before arriving somewhere new. When I realized how close it was to Florence I knew I would have to make a day trip. It is a Medieval town with fourteen towers built by competing families. Dante had visited this town as well as the Plague reducing the population in 1348. The town's roots, on the other hand, can be traced back to 200-300 BC. I found all this out after I had visited the picturesque village that sits upon a Tuscan hill top surrounded by dusty green olive trees and vineyards. I had arrived around 11 am so I was ready for a ...
Itinerary: Bologna, Italy
Besides being a foodie's dream location, Bologna also offers a wealth of activities where visitors can interact with its gritty, ancient and intellectual history. It is home to one of the oldest Universities in Europe where public autopsies would be held. There doctors, students, intellectuals and citizens would congregate to see the interior bodies of criminals. This room can be visited, as well as the entire University, although it isn't something I would recommend before or after eating. As for me I operate on a more sinister level where I was famished after such a visit, probably due to the extreme Summer heat and the room made of smelly pine wood which created a dizzying effect. ...
Top 5 Ways to Experience Intimate Venice
If you've been to Venice you may have your mind made up on whether or not you love it or hate it. The streets are narrow and difficult to manoeuvre amongst the dense lines of tourists taking in the charming Venetian glass & mask shops and stunning architecture. Try to take a seat for an espresso in St. Mark's Square and it could cost you four times what you'd pay in any other sestieri in Venice. This is your point of view if you hate the city. But as I found during my visit, there are plenty of places in the city to experience a more intimate Venezia. So skip the crowds. Ditch the cruise ships. Save your money. See Venice the right ...
Getting to Capri: Drive through fear and hitch a boat ride to easy shore
Getting to Capri felt like no easy feat for a novice world traveler. We took the train from Rome, which was lesson number one in European travel, and we passed with relative ease. However, lesson number two was enough to shock me out of my Canadian comfort and prepared me to go with the Italian flow. It was our first full day in Italy after arriving from Canada. It felt like my boyfriend (now my husband) and I had been traveling for days in our cramped British Airways seats next to the washroom, when we finally saw the huge city of Rome lit by the setting sun. After we settled into our dorm-like hotel room, I stumbled on the streets with my Star Wars t-shirt, très terrible, found some ...
